Value approximation mechanism



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Aug. 12, 1958 United States Patent VALUE APPRXIMATION MECHANISM Grant C.Ellerbeck, San Leandro, Calif., assgnor to Friden, Inc., a corporationof California Application October 30, 1953, Serial No. 389,375

7 Claims. (Cl. 23S-144) This invention relates to calculating machinesand is concerned more particularly with an improved register clearingmechanism particularly adapted to reset preselected orders' of theregister to a predetermined value, such as 5.

It is a general object of my invention to provide an improved means forcompleting calculations in desired orders to the nearest cent, and toperform this operation in such a way that the total, or accumulatedtotals, will be correct to the nearest cent.

In many calculations it is desirable to multiply one value by another,in which one of the values is a fraction of a cent, so that the productsecured will be registered in fractions of a cent. Examples of such workare payroll calculations in which it is necessary to multiply a ratepaid for the work by the number of hours work in order to obtain theamount to be paid to each employee, in which the rate may include afraction of a cent. Another example is in billing operations in whichthe price per item will be given in fractions of a cent so that thetotal price to be paid will also include similar fractions. It isnecessary to complete the calculation to the nearest cent, and it isvery desirable that this be done automatically so as to avoid mentaloperations on the part of the calculating machine operator. One of themost convenient ways of performing this rounding off operation to thenearest half-cent is to insert a value of in the order next below thelowest desired value (for example, in the order below the cent orderwhen values are accumulated to the closest cent) at the time of clearingthe register. If the values added thereto are less than half a unit (vemills, or a half-cent, in the example suggested), the `value in thislowest order will be no greater than 9 and no tens-transfer will occurinto the next higher or cents order. On the other hand, if the valueadded to the 5 is 5 or more, then the dial in the lowest, or mills,order will pass through the 9 to 0 position and will thus initiate atens-transfer into the next higher, or cents, order. Thus, in roundingoff to the closest cent by this method, if the mills accumulated areless than 5, the cents dial reads the accumulated number of cents; butif more than tive mills are accumulated, those values added to the vemills initially inserted are elective to operate a tens-transfer intothe cents order and thus register one cent more than the totalsaccumulated in that order. Thus, in either situation, the total isrounded otf to the closest cent, automatically.

It is therefore a particular object of my invention to provide animproved mechanism for inserting the halfcent, or ve mills, in any oneof a number of preselected orders of the calculating machine and thusaccumulate values to the closest cent.

It is another object of my invention to provide a calculating machine inwhich the resetting operation serves to enter one or more half-cent, orother half-unit, values in selected orders of the accumulator.

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Another object of the present invention is to provide a resetting, orclearing, mechanism which will enter predetermined values, such as 5, incertain selected orders of the accumulator as part of the resetting, orclearing, operation.

A further, and an important, object of the present invention is toprovide a half-cent mechanism which does not require the conventionaldisabling of the tens-transfer mechanism during the clearing operation.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, asillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a partial plan View of a portion of the accumulator registerwith which my invention is associated, in the normal, or cleared,position.

Fig. 2 is a view of the half-cent mechanism of my invention in thecocked position, which occurs at the end of the clearing stroke andprior to the return of the clearing mechanism to its normal inoperativeposition; and also shows details of the clearing rack and gear withwhich my invention is associated.

My invention is illustrated as embodied in the accumulator register ofthe type shown and disclosed in the patent to Carl M. Friden of January28, 1941, No. 2,229,- S89. Generally, such calculating machines includea selection mechanism, actuating means, and various control mechanismfor performing various operations such as addition, subtraction,multiplication and division. Such mechanisms are conventional, and areparticularly disclosed in the patent referred to, so that theirdisclosure is not necessary to an understanding of the instantinvention, Such machines generally include a shiftable carriage in whichan ordinally arranged accumulator is mounted. In the patent referred to,the carriage includes a hollow frame bar 10 which is slidably mounted inthe calculating machine and which can be moved to any preselectedordinal position by means not pertinent and not shown. A plurality ofordinally arranged accumulator dials 11 are rotatably mounted in thecarriage frame 10, as by mounting upon dial shafts 12 which arejournalled in the top and bottom of the'frame bar. The lower ends of thedial shafts 12 carry a driving gear, not shown, rigidly secured thereto,which gears are driven by the machine to accumulate values in theregister dials 11. The register dials are conventionally centralized ina full-value position by a conventional centralizing means, not shown,and generally are provided with a tens-transfer mechanism which is of nointerest in the present invention.

It is conventional to provide means for clearing the register dials 11to 0 when desired. In my preferred embodiment the clearing meanscomprises a pair of racks 15 mounted for longitudinal movement in theinterior of the frame bar 10, each of said racks including a pluralityof teeth 14 alternately arranged with respect to a blank portion 13, asshown in Fig. 2. The teeth and blanks of the racks are staggered on thetwo racks 15 so that they may cooperate with mutilated gears 16 mountedon the respective shafts 12, the mutilated clearing gears 16 beingvertically, or axially, oifset along the shafts 12 so that alternategears register with the upper rack and the others with the lower rack15. Each such gear is mutilated by the removal of two teeth, as shown inFig. 2, and the mutilated portion is in the position shown in thisligure when the associated dial stands at 0l To perform the resetting,or clearing, operation the racks 1S are moved laterally of the machine(lengthwise of the carriage frame 10), whereby the rack portions thereofengage the clearing gears 16 which are displaced from the position androtate them and their associated shafts and dials to the 0 position, inwhich position further rotation is blocked by a blocking means to bedescribed shortly. It is conventional in machines of this kind toprovide variousmeans for. operating the clearing racks, such as themanually operated post 18 shown in Fig. v1 which is rigidly mounted inthe racks 15.- The clearing racks 15 may also be operated by aconventional .power means, .not shown, vwhich acts through aninterponent, not shown, to move the post 18 when desired.

In order to insure stopping of the numeral, wheels, or dials, at 0without overthrow, a stop slide 25 is slidably mounted upon Ythe uppersurface` of kthe carriage frame 10. The stop slide is provided with aprojection, or shoulder, 26 for each order ofthe accumulator, whichshoulders, or fingers, are adapted to move into the path of travel of anabutment 28 formed on a stop cam 27,

. one of which is mounted. on each of the dial shafts 12 immediatelyadjacent the upper surface of the frame bar 10. The Vstop slide 25 ismoved in synchronism with the initial movement of the racks15 by anysuitable means. A conventionalmeans normally used with the machine ofthe patent above-mentionedcomprises a bellcrank 31 pivotally mounted onthe right-hand end of the frame by any suitable means, such as screw 32.This bellcrank has a rightwardlyeXtending arm which is provided with acam surface 34 engaging a roller 29 mounted on post 18. Thus, theinitial movement of the clearing rack toward the right, which occurs atthe start' of a clearing operation, causes the roller 29 to engage thecam face 34 ofthe bellcrank, thereby rocking the bellcrank (clockwise in`Fig. 2), and will hold it in the rocked position until the clearingrack 15 returns to its inoperative position shown.

The rearwardly extending arm of the bellcrank 31 is bifurcated, as at36, to embrace a pin 37 rigidly secured to the right-hand end of thestop slide 25. Operation of the clearing rack 15 thus causes the roller29 to rock Vthe bellcrank 31, which, through the pin-and-slotarrangement 37, 36 moves the stop slide 25 toward the right. Inthisposition the shoulders, or tingers,`26 lie inthe path of travel of theabutments128 of stop cams 27,- so that when the respective shafts arerotated to their 0 position, the shoulders 28 abut against the end ofthe ngers 26, thereby blocking further rotation of -the dial shafts 12.

The mechanism heretofore described is conventional rand is not claimedherein. My invention comprises mechanism by means of whichtheconventional clearing mechanism heretoforedescribed'may be operated inorder to insert a preselected value,'such as 5, in selected orders atthewill of the operator, when theclearing'mechanism is operated. Themechanism of my invention will now be described.

My invention embodies the principle of returning the selected dials 11from the 0 position, in an additive 4direction after the clearingoperation. It will be noted that the dials are returned from theiradjusted position to 0 in a subtractive (clockwise in the drawing)direction during the clearing stroke, so that in myinvention theregister dials do not pass through the tens-transfer or 9 to 0 position.Therefore it is unnecessary, in my invention, to disable thetens-transfer `mechanism as is conventional in most half-centmechanisms.

In the preferred form of my invention I mount a mutilated gear 77 ontheselected dial shafts 12, preferably immediately above the stop cam27. The gear 77 preferably has four teeth 78 which 'are followed by aattened surface 79 which'operates as a Geneva block, when the gearrotates in an additive, or counterclockwise, direction.

A rack 85 lies in the plane of the gear 77, and is pivotally mounted Onastud 86 carried by a bracket 87 riveted to, or otherwise rigidlymounted-on, they -stop slide 25. This rack includes an arcuate portionprovided With teeth 84 adapted to mesh with the teeth 78 of themutilated gear 77. The rack 85 is biased in a clockwise direction (torotate the dial in an additive, or counterclockwise direction) by meansof a spring 88 tensioned between an aperture, or spring seat, 89 in therack and a stud 90 mounted on the stop bar 25. The rack 85 is preferablyformed with a shoulder 109 which operates as a Geneva wheel incooperation with the tlat portion 79 of the gear 77, which acts as aGeneva block, thereby blocking overthrow of the gear 77 when theurackand gear are engaged.

The rack 85 has a depending stud 91 mountedfthereon which is embraced bya slot 96 in `the left end of a link pivotally mounted on the clearingpost 18. When the post 18 is moved to the right to initiate a clearingoperation, the link 95 moves with it. At the start of such movement ofthe post 18 and clearing racks 15,therstop .rack 25 moves `a slightdistance to the rightA and-then stops as the roller 29 passestalong thestraight face, or camedge, 34 of the bellcrank 31. The slight movementof the stop slide 25 to the right moves 'the rack 85 from :a meshingposition ,with the gear 77, therack- 85 remaining stationary on its axisduring such movement of the stop slide l25. However, after .the stopslide has stopped its movement the continued movement of the post 18moves the link 95 continuously to the right. Such movement of the link95'relative to the stop slide 25 causes the end of slot 96 to engagestud 91 on the rack, and thereafter rotates the rack approximately 90degrees against the urgency of its spring 88. As the rack `has beenmoved away from its associated gear 77, such rotation of the rackwillhave no eiect upon gear 77 or its related shaft 12.

There is alatch arm 100 associated with the rack 85, which latch arm canbe pivotally mounted in any suitable manner, such as upon stud '101secured to the stop slide 25. The latch arm 100 is normally 'biased intoengagement with the rack 8,5 (in a counter-clockwise direction in thedrawing) by any suitable means,` s'uch as spring 102 tensioned betweenan aperture, or spring seat, 103 in the latch armv and a stud 104 onthetop surfaceof the carriage frame bar 10. Normally, however,vthe latchmember 100 is rocked against the tension of its spring102 to disengagethe rack 85 by any suitable means,.1such as by a bracket 105 mounted onthe rear wall of the'frame bar 10 engaging a shoulder 106 on Vthe latchmember-100. During the clearing operation, however, the stop slide A25moves to the right relative'to the-frame bar 10, so that the latchmember `can rock 'counter-clockwise whereupon its nose 107 can engage inlatching notch 108 of the rack 85. "Thereafter, just before the end ofthe return stroke of the clearing rack 15, the stop slide 25 moves toYthe left. lAt thistime lthe shoulder 106 of the latch again engagesthebracket 105, rocking the latch 100 clockwise and releasing rack 85. Thereturn movement of the stop slide 25 also returns the rack 85 intoengagement 'withethe gear 77 on the'associated dial shaft. Thus, thelrocking oflatch 100 releases the rack 85 to the forceof its spring 88,which pulls the rack 85 (clockwise in the drawing) and rotates themutilated gear 77 fromthe/O position shown in Fig. 2 to the 5 positionshown in Fig. 1. In this position overthrow of the gear is` pre ventedby the shoulder 109 on the rack registeringwith the at portion 79 ofgear 77, the two cooperating to form a Geneva stop.

I prefer that the operation of the latch 100 be under theselectivecontrol of the operator and `for this purpose provide a cam'means forrocking the latch -100 to airinoperativeposition, if desired. Onepreferred meansv comprises a cam rigidly mounted on a shaft121-journalled in thel upper face of the carriage frame bar'10.Preferably, the shaft 121 projects through a slotl -122 in the stop bar25 and can be rotated either toanoperative aspiran/iv or an inoperativeposition by means of a conventional twirler (not shown) mounted on theupper end thereof. The cam can be held in either adjusted position byany suitable detent means, such as spring clip 123 mounted on the rearface of the carriage frame bar 10. Cooperating with the cam 120` is acam face 124 formed on the right-hand edge of the latch member 100, sothat if the cam is rotated 180 degrees from the position shown in Figs.l and 2 the cam will engage the cam face 124 immediately before the endof the Stroke of the stop bar 25, and thereby rock the arm 100 slightlyso that it cannot engage the rack 85. When this is done, the rack 85will not be latched by the latch 100` and is therefore free to return toits normal position under the bias of spring 88 as the link 95 moves tothe left. It will be recalled that there is a considerable stroke of theclearing rack 15 and its operating post 18 after the stop slide 25ceases to move and on the return stroke, the post and the link will havereturned a considerable distance before the stop slide 25 is free toreturn to its normal position. Therefore, on the return stroke, the post18 and link 95 will travel a considerable distance to the left, and willpermit the rack 85 to be rotated clockwise to its normal angularposition, before the stop slide 25 begins to return to its normalposition. During such rotational movement of the rack 85 it lies to theright of gear 77 and therefore does not rotate it in any manner. By sorotating the cam 120 through an are of 180 degrees and thus preventingthe latching of the rack 85 by arm 100, the rack will have returned toits normal position shown before it can engage the mutilated gear 77.

It will thus be obvious that if the cam 120 is rotated away from thelatch 100, as shown in Figs. l and 2, the latching arm 100 will be freeto engage the rack 85. In that event the release of the rack 85 will bedelayed until rafter the stop slide 25 has moved to the left to causethe to its normal clockwise position as soon as the clearing rack andpost 18 return a slight distance toward their normal left-hand position.In that event the rack is rotated, before it can engage the gear 77.When the rack 85 has been rotated to this extreme position, the cutawayportion 110 permits rotation of the gear 77 without engaging the rack,so that the rack will not interfere with digitation in this order of themachine.

I claim:

l. In combination with a calculating machine register having a pluralityof rotatable dials and clearing means for rotating said dials to aposition: a multilated gear connected to a selected one of said dials,gear means movable to a iirst position to engage said mutilated gear andto a second position to disengage the same, means operatedsimultaneously with operation of said clearing means for moving saidlast-mentioned gear means to said second position during operation ofthe clearing means to return the dials to 0 position and for causingsaid gear means to move to said rst position to engage said mutilatedgear after said dials have returned to their 0 positions, and means forrotating said gear means after such engagement.

2. In combination with a calculating machine register having rotatabledials, a mutilated gear connected to each such dial for rotationtherewith, means for rotating said mutilated gears to a 0 position, andmeans for operating said rotating means: a second mutilated gearconnected to each of selected ones of said dials, normally disengagedgear means movable to engage said second mutilated gears, means operatedsimultaneously with said rotating means for moving said last-mentionedgear means into engagement with said mutilated gears after operation ofsaid rotating means has rotatedthe rst mentioned mutilated gears totheir p0 positions, and means for rotating said gear means during suchengagement.

3. In a calculating machine the combination which comprises a pluralityof rotatable register dials, a mutilated gear connected to each suchdial for rotation therewith, a reciprocable rack for rotating saidmutilated gears to a 0 position, means for operating said rack, a secondmutilated gear connected to a selected dial, normally inoperative drive`means engageable with said second gear, means for moving said drivemeans out of engagement with said mutilated gear during movement of theclearing rack in one `direction and for causing it to engage said gearduring movement in the other direction, and means for operating saiddrive means during such engagement.

4. In a calculating machine the combination which comprises a rotatableregister dial, a mutilated gear connected to such dial for rotationtherewith, a reciprocable rack for rotating said mutilated gear to a 0position, means for reciprocating said rack, a second mutilated gearconnected to said dial, mutilated drive gear means engageable with saidsecond mutilated gear, means for moving said drive gear means away fromengagement with said second mutilated gear during movement of theclearing rack in one direction, means operated by said rack for rotatingsaid drive gear means from its original angular position during suchmovement of said rack, a latch for retaining said drive gear means inits rotated position, resilient means for returning said drive gearmeans to its original angular position, means controlled by the rackduring movement of said rack in the other direction for causing thedrive gear means to engage said second mutilated gear, and means forreleasing said latch after such engaging.

5. The combination of claim 4 comprising also a manually set means forselectively enabling or disabling said latch.

6. In combination with a clearing mechanism for a calculating machineregister having a plurality of rotatable dials, a mutilated gearconnected to each such dial for rotation therewith, a rack for rotatingsaid mutilated gears to a 0 position, and means for operating said rackthrough a clearing stroke during which the dials are returned to their 0positions and an idle return stroke: a setting gear member mounted on apredetermined dial, an arcuate rack adapted to cooperate with said gearmember, means for moving said arcuate rack away from said gear memberduring the clearing stroke of said clearing rack, means biasing saidarcuate rack in one direction, means for rocking said arcuate rack inthe opposite direction during the clearing stroke of said clearing rack,means for selectively latching said arcuate rack in its rotatedposition, means for moving said arcuate rack into mesh with said gearmember during the return stroke of said clearing rack, and means forreleasing said latching means at approximately the end of the returnstroke.

7. ln combination with a clearing mechanism for a calculating machineregister having a plurality of rotatable dials, a mutilated clearinggear mounted on each such dial for rotation therewith, a rack forrotating said mutilated gears to a 0 position, a stop slide operatedsimultaneously with the initial movement of said rack for blockingoverthrow of said dials, and means for operating said rack and said stopslide through a clearing stroke during which the dials are returned totheir 0 positions and an idle return stroke: a gear member mounted on apredetermined dial, a second rack rotatably mounted on said stop slideand adapted to engage said gear member, said second rack being mountedon said slide in a manner to be moved away from said gear member by theoperation of said slide during the clearing stroke of said rstrackandsaid stop 'slide' and to engage said gear mernberfon thefreturnstroke of said rack-and slide, meansbiasingsaid"secoridrack-in onedirection, means operatedfby "'saidf clearing -raclvfor lrocking said'second rack-in the opposite direction during the clearing stroke of saidclearing rack, means for selectively latching said rack'in said rockedposition, and means for releasing saidlatching means at the' end of thereturnstroke of said stop slide.

References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITEDM. STATES Y PATENTSEnders; Mar. 7, 1939 Pott Jan. '7, 1941y Moody Nov. 16, 1943 Cha11` Nov.24, 1953

